Monument record 0288402000 - GLORY MILL, WOOBURN GREEN

GLORY MILLS, FOR PAPER, LEASED BY MESSRS GROSVENOR, CHATER & CO. CHIMNEY, 42.7M HIGH, BUILT 1846 & IS BEST IN AREA (B7).
MARKED ON OS MAPS (B8).
OCCUPIED BY WIGGINS, TEAPE & CO (B1).
MILL STILL WORKING 1957 (WIGGINS, TEAPE & CO (1919) LTD)(B4).
Detailed historical notes and 1930s condition. Power driven factory in 2006 (B9).
Situated in an area which had a tradition in papermaking, the first reference to Glory Mill is in 1627 when the mill was leased to a Richard King. Papermaking is known to have been in existence in the area for a number of years and Glory Mill could have been making paper as early as 1600. Despite the fact that the mill continued hand making paper from rags, not much is known about it until the 19th century when the mill was mechanized in the form of the Fourdriner paper machine. The first machine was installed in 1850 to produce high quality white paper. In 1887 a limited comapny - Glory Paper Mills Co. Ltd - was formed, but falling paper prices caused the company to be wound up in 1894 and be purchased by Wiggins Teape. In 1898, a fire gutted a large part of the mill and the following two years were spent in reconstruction with operations starting again in 1901. During the First World War, at the behest of the Government, the mill started to manufacture photographic base paper which was sent to Cassio in Watford for baryta coating. Production of photobase continued after the war and in the 1920s No. 1 mill was constructed, with its 86" No. 1 papermachine. After World War II, rising demand saw the introduction of No.2 papermachine in 1950 and No.3 papermachine in 1956. During the early 1960s the mill carried out research into the use of extrusion coating and was granted patents for the use of this technology for the manufacture of photobase. As a result of this the mill expanded with No.1 extruder installed in 1964, a subcoater in 1972, No.2 extruder in 1972 and No.3 in 1980. In 1988 Wiggins Teape sold the mill to the James Rivers Coroporation who in turn sold to business to AEA Investors, a management buyout. In 1995 Felix Scholler purchased the mill and invested heavily to modernize the facilities but a fall in demand, coupled with over supply, resulted in its closure in 2000. The site is now being redeveloped for housing, office, etc. Buildings report dated September 1999 held at NMR (B10).